Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2017 novel, "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," tells the story of famous fictional actress Evelyn Hugo, her rise to stardom, and her personal struggles.
The book is a story within a story. Reclusive 79-year-old Hugo invites young, unknown journalist Monique Grant to her home on the pretense of writing a story about a charitable contribution. When Grant arrives, Hugo reveals that she wants to tell her life story to Grant so that Grant can write her biography after Hugo's death. For a reason she does not explain until the end of the novel, Hugo has decided that only Grant can tell her story. The enigmatic Hugo was once among the most glamorous and successful actresses in the Hollywood film industry.
Most of the book is a chronological recounting of the actress's life, from her abusive upbringing in New York's Hell's Kitchen to her tumultuous Hollywood career and her equally tumultuous love life. Periodically, the narrative shifts from Evelyn's past to the present-day interview, revealing the relationships between Grant and Hugo, Grant and her ex-husband David, and Grant and the editors of her magazine. Although both narratives are told in the first person (the past by Evelyn and the present by Monique), I had no trouble switching contexts and establishing where the story was in time and place.
Evelyn was confident and self-centered. She used some of her marriages to get what she wanted. She married her first husband to escape her abusive childhood home and pursue an acting career; then, she divorced him as soon as she achieved that goal. To be fair, some of her husbands used her as well. Two husbands she loved. One began beating her a few months after their wedding; the other only married her to boast of a movie star wife. Her fourth husband, Harry, was a gay man who knew her secrets. He was her best friend.
Each of the seven chapters is named for one of Evelyn's husbands. But these marriages only frame the timeline of her life. The book is less about her husbands than about her personal life outside marriage, particularly her homosexual relationship with actress Celia St. James. The two beautiful women fell in love, but recognized that revealing a lesbian affair would destroy their careers. So they married men to hide their sexuality, met clandestinely, and suffered the inevitable strain of their secret liaisons.
Reid builds a fascinating set of characters, highlighted by Harry, Evelyn, and Celia, who struggle to hide their sexual identities and to remain close. Evelyn hides both her bisexuality and her Cuban upbringing - dying her hair blond and refusing to speak Spanish. She is likeable but manipulative, often using her beauty to advance her ambitions. She tells Monique that she has no regrets about her "scandalous" behavior.
There are two significant twists in this story. One comes early when Evelyn and Celia fall in love. Reid waits until the end to uncover the final twist - one that involves Evelyn, Harry, and Monique, and reveals why the actress chose an unknown journalist to write her biography.
Although Evelyn expresses no regrets for her actions and decisions, she experiences definite growth in her life, learning to accept who she is as she grows older. Some of this self-assurance rubs off on Monique as a result of the brief time they spend together.
"Seven Husbands" is a story of the effects fame can have on a personal life. It is about the suffocating nature of a homophobic, patriarchal society. Evelyn survives this society and even succeeds. But she can never be her true self.